That when writing a post this site times out and logs me off. This has happened several time now, how do I avoid this.
I find other people write long posts, are they that much faster then me in expressing their thoughts while posting.

Oh yes, this drives me nuts. It is best to write a long post in your favorite word processor, then copy and past it over to the forum when finished. I still forget sometimes and it bites me every time.
CE

Under FAQ's:Why do I get logged off automatically?
If you do not check the Remember me box when you login, the board will only keep you logged in for a preset time. This prevents misuse of your account by anyone else. To stay logged in, check the Remember me box during login. This is not recommended if you access the board from a shared computer, e.g. library, internet cafe, university computer lab, etc. If you do not see this checkbox, it means a board administrator has disabled this feature.

I simply 'duplicate the tab' as I get into large amounts of work to lose - you've basically then got a copy of all the hard-thought and entered text to save doing it all over again....
Essentially the duplicated tab is my backup to save me running away screaming when the post disappears - although I habitually post long verbose posts and very rarely have this happen.

Try 'duplicating the tab' as you go, you can even have a series of duplications, the latest always appears next along the tab-bar to the on I'm working in - very handy indeed.